Question
topping by the Nursing Home on a Sunny Morning
She was my shelter from a storm
A home away from home
My blanket I would never outgrow
Just one embrace and I would know
That this too shall pass, and I could face
My toughest enemy in every race
But now she is a shadow of her younger self
a withering flower in a forgotten glass vase
I tell myself that this too shall pass but I
don’t know what lies on the other side of the glass
door when I am in the nursing home Alzheimer’s ward
She won’t see me nor remember the lives we had
Once a beauty queen, she lent me pearls and scarves
I see her pale blue gown, spotted skin and IV scars
She used to bake pecan pies and macaroons
When she walked by the room would smell of jasmine
The unspooled yarn in a basket under the bed
is another sweater that will never be made
“It’s Ally,” I whisper to the one who named me
The youngest in our clan, once her favorite grandbaby
Her eyes are fixed on a picture frame of us and an old Great Dane
His mind was gone before his body left
He has the same droopy eyes as her and a dejected look
The last photograph in our home my daddy took
I hold Grandmother’s hands that tremble like a leaf about to fall
She hasn’t shut me out, not yet, not completely, not at all
But I see the hollowness in her eyes, the windows about to close
Does her mind not know the love that her heart, I hope, knows?
If love is lost with memory, who is she to me
If only my love and memory stay, for now, will it be
Question
Read this line from the poem.
If love is lost with memory, who is she to me
What can the reader infer about the relationship between the speaker and the grandmother based on the line?
Responses
A The speaker is arriving at the conclusion that she no longer wants to be loved.The speaker is arriving at the conclusion that she no longer wants to be loved.
B The speaker is struggling with the nuances of a love in a difficult relationship.The speaker is struggling with the nuances of a love in a difficult relationship.
C The speaker is debating whether or not she should risk her heart getting hurt.The speaker is debating whether or not she should risk her heart getting hurt.
D The speaker is contemplating telling the grandmother the truth about her disease.The speaker is contemplating telling the grandmother the truth about her disease.
She was my shelter from a storm
A home away from home
My blanket I would never outgrow
Just one embrace and I would know
That this too shall pass, and I could face
My toughest enemy in every race
But now she is a shadow of her younger self
a withering flower in a forgotten glass vase
I tell myself that this too shall pass but I
don’t know what lies on the other side of the glass
door when I am in the nursing home Alzheimer’s ward
She won’t see me nor remember the lives we had
Once a beauty queen, she lent me pearls and scarves
I see her pale blue gown, spotted skin and IV scars
She used to bake pecan pies and macaroons
When she walked by the room would smell of jasmine
The unspooled yarn in a basket under the bed
is another sweater that will never be made
“It’s Ally,” I whisper to the one who named me
The youngest in our clan, once her favorite grandbaby
Her eyes are fixed on a picture frame of us and an old Great Dane
His mind was gone before his body left
He has the same droopy eyes as her and a dejected look
The last photograph in our home my daddy took
I hold Grandmother’s hands that tremble like a leaf about to fall
She hasn’t shut me out, not yet, not completely, not at all
But I see the hollowness in her eyes, the windows about to close
Does her mind not know the love that her heart, I hope, knows?
If love is lost with memory, who is she to me
If only my love and memory stay, for now, will it be
Question
Read this line from the poem.
If love is lost with memory, who is she to me
What can the reader infer about the relationship between the speaker and the grandmother based on the line?
Responses
A The speaker is arriving at the conclusion that she no longer wants to be loved.The speaker is arriving at the conclusion that she no longer wants to be loved.
B The speaker is struggling with the nuances of a love in a difficult relationship.The speaker is struggling with the nuances of a love in a difficult relationship.
C The speaker is debating whether or not she should risk her heart getting hurt.The speaker is debating whether or not she should risk her heart getting hurt.
D The speaker is contemplating telling the grandmother the truth about her disease.The speaker is contemplating telling the grandmother the truth about her disease.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The most appropriate inference about the relationship between the speaker and the grandmother based on the line "If love is lost with memory, who is she to me" is:
**C** The speaker is debating whether or not she should risk her heart getting hurt.
This line suggests the speaker is questioning the essence of their relationship due to the grandmother's Alzheimer's disease and the potential loss of connection that comes with memory loss. The speaker is grappling with the emotional impact of their grandmother not being able to remember her, which signifies a struggle over the value and continuity of their love despite the disease.
**C** The speaker is debating whether or not she should risk her heart getting hurt.
This line suggests the speaker is questioning the essence of their relationship due to the grandmother's Alzheimer's disease and the potential loss of connection that comes with memory loss. The speaker is grappling with the emotional impact of their grandmother not being able to remember her, which signifies a struggle over the value and continuity of their love despite the disease.